In Discretion
by MadeIndescribable
Summary: Kira Discovers a girl named Tora Ziyal amongst the survivors of the Cardassian transport ship the Ravinok. Set during Altariel's AU novella 'Scorched Earth'


_I've already had one vengeful Dukat scion plaguing me for twenty years. Did you really think I was going to allow another one to grow up to be an irritation?_  
\- Legate Garak, Stardate 48730.4

"Tell me something."

"What?"

"Who's Tora Ziyal?" Kira took a break from her rations and looked at the striking Cardassian features of the man she had grown to despise. "When I reactivated the _Ravinok_'s computer, I downloaded the manifest. There were two civilians on board in addition to the prisoners and crew."

"And yet you're only asking about one of them" her foil pointed out, Memad's questioning tone reminding her of another Cardassian thorn in her side. Someone he must have known knew better than she did.

"Ziyal's a Cardassian name." she continued, "but she was travelling with a Tora Naprem. Whose name is Bajoran."

"You're an insightful woman Major" said Memad, complimenting Kira in a way which was far from flattering, "why don't you tell me who you think she is. You never know, I might even let you know if you're right."

Kira had hated his attitude, and him, the moment he'd transported into Ops to join her search for the missing Cardassian vessel. Obviously an Obsidian Order agent of some level, proved as much by the fact that he knew 'most likely but not necessarily' that it was Razka Karn who had given her the lead they had followed. She'd spent as much of their journey trying to get answers about him as she had about Lorit Akrem, her friend who had been onboard when the _Ravinok_ went missing.

"Cardassian's having Bajoran mistresses wasn't uncommon during the occupation" she began, keen to study his reactions as closely as he studied hers, "but the fact that these two were passengers onboard a prisoner ship suggests they were connected to someone rather high up." Though she'd hate to give any indication as to her thought processes to even the lowliest of Order agents, Kira couldn't deny that voicing her theory helped it to unravel, her determination to uncover the mystery deepening the more Memad overemphasised his agreement. "Something backed up by the fact that you're here looking for her" she added confidently.

Memad curtly nodded his head, a vindication to himself as much as his current sparring partner. Though the change in situation had been forced, he felt that he'd be able to trust the Major with certain responsibilities from the moment he'd read her file; now the more he got to know her in person, the more he was glad she wouldn't have to meet with a nasty accident he'd had to conceive just in case. For her part, Kira felt vindicated that her suspicion about his being high up in the order was correct, but worried he'd felt no need to deny it all, let alone so quickly.

"Oh, you're more right than you know, Major. Ziyal's father was high up. Very high up. In fact you could even say he was the highest. When it comes to the Occupation at least..." He studied her and delighted in her revelation.

Kira sighed and felt her head fall between her shoulders as she put two and two together. She'd come a long way to see the shades of grey since her days of fighting for her freedom in the resistance, but why was it that everything she hated about Cardassia always seemed to be embodied by one man in particular? "Dukat" she eventually brought herself to say out loud.

"Didn't I say I'd tell you if you were right?" Memad cheerfully reminded her. While it was very unlike him to admit the truth to someone, especially of the Major's heritage, there was no point denying something that would come out in the end anyway. After six years as a Breen slave Ziyal was too much of an unknown factor to predict, save her love for her father, and though the Major's eventual discovery of her had forced him to change his plans somewhat, at the very least she would make herself useful in the new way of doing things.

"Have to admit I'd be surprised he wasn't here himself if there weren't so many rumours creeping out from the Union." she conceded, and then sat there and listened as Memad filled in the gaps of her knowledge of Cardassian current affairs.

All those times she'd wished Dukat to be dead, something which lasted until well after the occupation was over, it felt strange for Kira to be feeling a sense of sorrow at the news. Alongside her mourning that Dukat would never face the trial on Bajor that he deserved, hearing such glee coming from an agent of the Obsidian Order suddenly made her realise that perhaps sometimes it was the better the devil you knew after all.

Memad collected himself when he felt satisfied that Kira had learnt all she needed, and secretly cursed himself for getting carried away. It had been too long since he'd allowed himself to open up even slightly, and as he would have to rely on Major Kira for some while to come, would have to make sure that the small crack would never widen again in future. He could hardly blame himself though, he thought, it wasn't everyday you got to relish in the defeat of one enemy to someone who still had no idea you were using them against another.

"Garak," she said despondently as if reading Memad's mind now she could no longer read his face, "you wanted to find her because of Garak." There was the devil you knew, and then there was devil who'd never let you.

As insightful as she was however, it was the one final piece of the puzzle that Memad had waited for the most. His reward for his patience in waiting for her to realise everything so far would be the twist that she'd never see coming at the end.

"If she's still alive, you'll have no choice but to kill her." Kira said disheartedly, the Order's rise to power continuing to roll back her progress in feeling nothing but hatred for Cardassians.

"Not quite" Memad answered her, "you see, if Ziyal is still alive," one last smile appeared at the corner of his mouth despite all of his resolve, "I'm here to rescue her."


End file.
